**COVID-19 UPDATE** Sessions are currently being delivered remotely via Zoom.
What is CBT?
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave. It is a therapy based on evidence and research that gives you the tools and techniques to continue to cope and thrive long after your sessions have ended.
The theory of CBT is that the way we think about situations can affect the way we feel and behave. When people feel worried or distressed we often fall into patterns of thinking and responding which can worsen how we feel. For example, if you interpret a situation negatively then you might experience negative emotions as a result, and those bad feelings might then lead you to behave in a certain way. CBT works to help us notice and change problematic thinking styles or behaviour patterns so we can feel better. CBT has lots of strategies that can help you in the here and now.
Who do we work with?
CBT can help with many different types of problems that affect your mental health. These include: anxiety, depression, panic, phobias (including agoraphobia and social phobia), eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder amongst other things.
I work with people with are struggling with complex mental health issues, who maybe don’t fit neatly into a box and who might be a bit ‘complicated’.
Does this sound like you?
Some of the issues I work with include -
OCD
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (often referred to as OCD) is a serious anxiety-related condition where a person experiences frequent intrusive and unwelcome obsessional thoughts, commonly referred to as obsessions.
Obsessions are very distressing and result in a person carrying out repetitive behaviours or rituals in order to prevent a perceived harm and/or worry that preceding obsessions have focused their attention on. Such behaviours include avoidance of people, places or objects and constant reassurance seeking, sometimes the rituals will be internal mental counting, checking of body parts, or blinking, all of these are compulsions.
Research has shown that 75% of people with OCD are significantly helped by CBT and it is the treatment of choice in the UK.
Anxiety Disorders
Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life. But some people find it hard to control their worries. Their feelings of anxiety are more constant and can often affect their daily lives. Some commonly diagnosed anxiety disorders are -
- Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) – this means having regular or uncontrollable worries about many different things in your everyday life.
- Social anxiety disorder – experiencing extreme fear or anxiety triggered by social situations (such as parties, workplaces, or any situation in which you have to talk to another person).
- Panic disorder – having regular or frequent panic attacks without a clear cause or trigger. Experiencing panic disorder can mean that you feel constantly afraid of having another panic attack, to the point that this fear itself can trigger your panic attacks.
- Health anxiety – this means you experience obsessions and compulsions relating to illness, including researching symptoms or checking to see if you have them. It is related to OCD.
Complex Trauma and PTSD
Many individuals can experience symptoms associated with painful and traumatic circumstances. Anxiety, fear, and hopelessness are a few emotions that can linger post traumatic events. We can help you overcome these symptoms and guide you through the process of grief and healing.
Comorbitity
This means when you have more than one problem or diagnosis that you are trying to deal with.
About the therapist
Megan Blackshaw
Megan is a fully qualified mental health professional with over ten years experience working in mental health and addiction, she is a registered member of BABCP and continues to work in mainstream mental health services alongside her private practice. She has gained her CBT qualifications from the University of Oxford and is experienced in working with a wide range of issues.
What can I expect?
Sessions last 50 minutes and would typically take place on a weekly or fortnightly basis, either in person or via video therapy.
The first couple of sessions will be spent making sure CBT is the right therapy for you and that you're comfortable with the process. I will ask questions about why you have come to CBT and about your current situation as well as your background. Although CBT concentrates on the here and now, at times you may need to talk about the past to understand how your problems are affecting your life at the moment, helping us to work together to agree what you would like to work on in treatment and what your goals are. You decide what you want to deal with in the short, medium and long term.
If we are both happy that CBT is the right treatment for you, we will start to break down the problems into steps which we will focus on each week. You will be asked to work on certain tasks in between sessions, such as keeping a diary or trying out one of the coping techniques that we will have discussed in session.
We will work at your pace, this doesn’t mean that there won’t be times that you feel anxious or negative about treatment as this is a really normal part of therapy and helpful for us to talk about when it comes up, but it means that we are only going to work towards goals that you’re comfortable with at a speed that suits you.
The number of sessions you need depends on the difficulty you need help with.
Contact Us
Contact Number
Contact Number
Contact Number
07506 862202
Finding Us
Megan Blackshaw
The Park Counselling Centre, 31 Park Road, Coventry, CV1 2LE
Remote appointments available evenings & weekends
FAQs
How is therapy affected by the Covid 19 pandemic?
Therapy is currently being delivered remotely via Zoom to anyone residing in the UK and this will continue to be offered, even as face to face therapy resumes. Updates will be posted when in person therapy is being offered again following strict government guidelines and BABCP recommendations to ensure safety.
Is CBT right for me?
Although CBT is effective for many people, it is not right for everyone and it is helpful to do some research. A therapist will be able to advise you whether your expectations are likely to be met through CBT, it depends what you are looking to gain. CBT focuses on helping you to achieve specific goals that are led by you and is structured each session to keep us focused on these.
Before deciding to have CBT, it might be helpful to think about the following:
- Is short-term therapy right for me? You might feel that you would like to spend longer in a different type of talking therapy if you want to fully cover the number of problems you have or the length of time they've been around.
- Am I comfortable thinking about my feelings? CBT can involve becoming aware of your anxieties and emotions. Initially, you may find this process uncomfortable or distressing.
- How much time do I want to spend? CBT can involve exercises for you to do outside of your sessions with a therapist. You may find this means you need to commit your own time to complete 'homework' over the course of treatment, and afterwards.
- Do I have a clear problem to solve? You may find CBT is less suitable if you feel generally unhappy or unfulfilled, but don't have troubling symptoms or a particular aspect of your life you want to work on.
How much is it?
Sessions cost £50. This is payable prior to each session via cash, cheque or direct debit.
Referrals from companies will be charged at a higher rate due to administrative costs.
What is a therapy agreement?
This is a contract we use which includes details of how we work, confidentiality, fees, what you can expect from me and what I expect from you as a client. Click here to see more.
I work full time. Do you have evening or weekend appointments available?
Yes absolutely, I work some evenings and on Saturdays so we can work it into your schedule.
How long will I have to wait to start therapy?
From first contact we should be able to arrange your initial appointment within two weeks and if we are both happy to continue then therapy will be able to commence without delay.
Do you do home visits or telephone appointments?
Not usually, this can be discussed.
Where do I go and what happens when I arrive?
*Please note, information may vary when face to face therapy resumes*
I work out of Park Counselling Centre which is located very close to Coventry train station. Please see the ‘’’Finding us’’ section for specific details. There are a few parking spaces in front of the building, otherwise there is street parking.
There is usually a receptionist on the desk, who will buzz you in and you can wait in reception until you are called in. On weekends, there is not a receptionist on the desk. At these times the therapist will need to let you into the building which they may not be able to do early if they are already with a client.
What if I need to cancel a session?
This is fine with 48 hours notice as we all know life can get in the way sometimes! Unfortunately if you cancel within the 48 hours prior to the appointment I will still have to charge you 50% of the rate (£25) to meet my own costs.
Can I bring someone with me?
*Please note, information may vary when face to face therapy resumes due to Covid 19 precautions*
If you would like to bring someone along for support the first time this is fine, lots of people need a bit of support when they are taking a big step like this. We can talk about what we will do in later sessions and how this will work. Sometimes, further into therapy, it can be helpful to bring a family member or friend along to a session if you feel they will be helpful to support you too if they understand what you are trying to achieve in therapy. This would only happen if it is something you felt would be useful.
How long should I expect CBT to go on for?
This is hard to say as it differs from person to person but as a guideline I would say 12-20 sessions for the clients I usually work with. This can be less for some people and somewhat longer for others. CBT is not a forever therapy and there are guidelines around how long it takes to treat different mental health issues based on evidence and research on the effectiveness of treatment, however these are guidelines rather than rules and everybody is individual and works at a different pace. We will regularly review your progress during therapy and both of us will plan for when we think the sessions will come to an end so that you feel prepared for that.